Category Archives: Vegetables and Fruit

Oregon Blackberry Salad with Beets and Carrots

Oregon is widely known for both its cultivated and wild blackberries. Here in Southern Oregon, wild blackberries can be found along roadsides, on fences, and on the banks of creeks and rivers. In some places, there are so many blackberry vines that some people consider them to be noxious weeds and try removing them completely from their property or backyards. By mid to late summer the local Southern Oregon blackberries are ripe and ready to pick. Something to consider when using blackberries in any of your favorite recipes is knowing that the cultivated berries tend to be bigger in size, are slightly sweeter and can be a bit a juicier than their wild counterparts. Whether they are cultivated or wild, blackberries are wonderfully versatile little fruits that taste simply amazing.

One of my favorite ways to use blackberries is to make a sweet and tangy blackberry vinaigrette and drizzle it on my Oregon Blackberry Salad with Beets and Carrots. My Oregon Blackberry Salad is a colorful combination of some of the best local ingredients that I can find during the hot summer months. The sweet juicy blackberries combined with the earthiness of red beets and crunchy carrots makes it a stunningly vibrant summer salad. My Oregon Blackberry Salad with Beets and Carrots is easy to make, and tastes absolutely fantastic! Enjoy! Tessa

Blackberry Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1 cup fresh picked blackberries

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs honey

1 Tbs shallots (minced)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper or to taste

1 Tbs water if needed

In a blender, add the blackberries, red wine vinegar and pulse until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of water if the blackberry vinegar mixture is too thick. Remove from blender and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl in order to remove the seeds. Discard seed mixture. Add to olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard, minced shallots, salt and pepper into the blackberry mixture to the bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Taste and correct your seasonings. Store the blackberry vinaigrette in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Makes 1 cup or 8 servings.

For one salad:

2 cups fresh green lettuce or your favorite greens

1/4 cup fresh blackberries

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup shredded beets

1 – 2 Tbs Blackberry Vinaigrette (see recipe above)

fresh cracked pepper (optional)

Assemble the lettuce on a salad plate. Arrange the shredded carrots and beets over the bed of lettuce and top with the blackberries. Drizzle with blackberry vinaigrette.

Whenever I am in a crazy mad dash to get to work in the morning and I have no time to spare, one of my favorite breakfasts to make is a simple smoothie. What I love about a smoothie is that it is quick to assemble, I can take it to work with me, and it’s delicious! My Banana Mango Smoothie is a fresh tropical tasting mixture of banana, mango chunks, ice, and apple juice. Sometimes I like to add a scoop of vanilla flavored protein powder to fill me up and to help keep me from snacking at my desk. Simply toss all ingredients into a blender and within a few minutes, breakfast is served. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1 banana (peeled and cut into chunks)

1 cup mango chunks (fresh or frozen)

1 – 3 ice cubes

approximately 1 cup apple juice

1 scoop vanilla flavored protein powder (optional)

1 – 2 drops liquid stevia (optional)

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Add additional apple juice if desired. Pour in a glass, add straw and serve. Makes 1 serving.

I just have to tell you that I have a new favorite fruit. It’s called a Blood Orange. The name sounds a bit gory but trust me, this amazing citrus fruit is far from it… Just close your eyes and get past the name. Blood Oranges can be a bit smaller in size than a regular orange and bigger than a tangerine. When sliced, they have a gorgeous orange to bright crimson center and they have an outer skin that can be somewhat difficult to peel. Blood Oranges are sweet, juicy and perfect for making a simple Blood Orange Vinaigrette.

What beautiful fruit! As you can see, Blood Oranges are aptly named. Be mindful when handling the oranges, they can stain your clothes and cutting boards.

Making the Blood Orange Vinaigrette is easy. Add all the ingredients to a glass jar, tighten the lid and then give it a good shake to blend all the flavors. Drizzle the Blood Orange Vinaigrette over a plate of fresh greens and Blood Orange segments for a wonderful Blood Orange Salad. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1/3 cup blood orange juice

2/3 cup olive oil

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs shallots (finely minced)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp blood orange zest

3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper (or to taste)

Place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to combine all ingredients. Taste and correct your seasonings. Store in the refrigerator tightly covered for up to 4 days. Makes about a cup.

Spring is about two months early here in Southern Oregon. The weather is starting to warm up, the daffodils and crocuses are blooming, and the deciduous trees are already starting to bud out. I love warm weather but when it comes too early in the year, it comes with a large cost. The lack of precipitation in the form of rain and the lack of a snow pack in the surrounding mountains means that we are in store for another very dry year here in the Rogue Valley.

With the seemingly early spring, many of my perennial herbs in my garden are ready to pick. What really caught my eye is that my mint has already poked through the soil and is about 6 to 8 inches tall. Mint is one of my favorite herbs and one of the easiest to grow. I just love the aroma, taste and versatility of freshly picked mint. From my own personal experience, if you plant just one little mint plant, it will be more than happy to try to take over your entire yard. That’s why when I grow mint, I plant it in its very own pot where it is safely contained and unable to grow freely where ever it chooses. Once mint is established in your garden, it’s difficult to eradicate without the use of herbicides. And those who know me, know full well that I don’t use herbicides in my garden. Ever…

I currently have 4 varieties of mint growing in my yard. Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Chocolate Mint and Spearmint. I’m planning to add Apple Mint and Pineapple Mint to my little mint collection in the near future.

Fresh snipped spearmint and Italian flat leaf parsley from my garden was used in my Israeli Couscous Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Mint. For those who are unfamiliar with Israeli couscous, Israeli Couscous is a small semolina pasta also known as Pearl Couscous, Ptitim or Jerusalem Couscous. It’s mild in flavor and takes about 10 minutes to prepare. The little ball shape of Israeli Couscous makes it perfect for all sorts of soups, salads, main or side dishes. The next time you see Israeli couscous at your local grocery store or online, be sure to buy some. It’s a quick cooking and very adaptable ingredient to have on hand in your kitchen pantry! Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1 cup Israeli couscous

2 Tbs olive oil

1 1/4 cups water

1/4 – 1/2 cup Roasted Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

1/2 cup roasted cherry tomatoes (see instructions below)

1/2 cup feta cheese (crumbled)

1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)

1/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley (chopped)

1/4 cup kalamata olives (chopped)

salt and pepper to taste

Begin by heating the olive oil in a 2 quart pan over medium high heat. Add Israeli Couscous to the pan and stir constantly until lightly browned, about 4 1/2 minutes. Reduce heat and slowly add water. Cook covered until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add remaining ingredients, toss lightly, then taste and correct your seasonings. Add the mixture to a serving bowl. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Makes 8 – 1/2 cup servings.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking pan add 1 pint cherry tomatoes. Toss lightly with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes collapse. Remove from oven and let cool. Makes little over a cup. Use immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for a few days.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette: In a blender add the following ingredients and blend until smooth. Makes about 1 cup.

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup roasted cherry tomatoes

1 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Use immediately or keep refrigerated in a tightly covered container for a few days.

First of all, I owe my family, friends and coworkers a big huge apology. You see, I will not be giving away my excess homegrown tomatoes from my garden to them ever again. It’s not that I don’t like to share or that I am a stingy person or that I like to hoard my garden produce. It’s just that I need the tomatoes because I have learned how to make my own homemade Rustic Tomato Marinara Sauce from scratch. And in my opinion, this Rustic Tomato Marinara sauce is worth apologizing for.

The key to this delicious sauce is freshly picked, perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes. This bucket full of lemon boy’s, early girls, green zebras, pineapples, mortgage lifters and a handful sweet millions was used in my Rustic Tomato Marinara. What makes this sauce “rustic” is that I did not peel the tomatoes or seed them before tossing in the pot for cooking. I say, so what, who cares? A stick blender takes care of the tomato skins and as a result there’s very little waste and a fantastic tomato flavor.

My Rustic Tomato Marinara is one of those recipes that works better by taste and feel rather than following the recipe exactly. Why? Every variety of tomato is different and some cook faster than others. Also, you can add whatever blend of spices and herbs you like. If you like it spicy, add some red pepper flakes. It’s all about you and your taste. The next time you have an overabundance of tomatoes, make some Rustic Tomato Marinara. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1 gallon tomatoes (about 5 pounds, quartered)

2 onions (chopped)

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup wine (I used red table wine)

1 cup fresh basil (chopped)

1 Tbs fresh oregano

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

about 2 – 3 cups water

5 cloves garlic (minced)

salt and pepper to taste

1 – 2 Tbs sugar (optional)

Grab a large pot and saute the onions in the olive oil until they turn translucent. Meanwhile, wash and remove stem scars from tomatoes. Quarter the tomatoes, making sure that all the tomato chunks are somewhat uniform in size. Add tomatoes, wine, water, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to the pot, Cook on low uncovered for 2 – 3 hours, stirring often. Add garlic near the end of the cooking process. Using an immersion or stick blender, blend sauce until smooth or desired consistency. If the sauce is too watery or thin, cook the sauce longer to reduce or if it’s too thick, add more water. Taste your sauce, add sugar if necessary. The purpose of the sugar is to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Correct your seasonings. Remove from heat. Use sauce immediately or cool and put into plastic containers to freeze for later use. Makes about 2 – 2 1/2 quarts.

Every spring and summer I dedicate time to plant a vegetable garden. Those who have a vegetable garden knows full well that having one takes quite a bit of work. Fortunately, my garden is small in size. It consists of 2 – 5′ by 8′ raised beds, a 3′ by 6′ planting strip and 5 large half barrel containers. Chances are that you’ll find me in my garden every night after I come home from work. I generally spend about 20 minutes a day watering, weeding, and tending to my vegetables and herbs. It may be an effort but I love it. Gardening is one of those activities that is productive, therapeutic and good for the soul. Not to mention, the ultimate reward is delicious fresh picked vegetables and fruit for you and your family.

Everything that I grow in my little garden is organic. That means I don’t use bug sprays, processed fertilizers or non-organic composts. I prefer it that way. I’m far from perfect but I do try my best to feed my family healthy foods free from chemicals and pesticide residue. So I do take the extra time to pull weeds or deal with garden pests the old fashioned way by plucking them off the leaves by hand. Planting, weeding and watering is the easy part of gardening. Dealing with the garden pests such as snails slugs or beetles is not. It’s not my favorite part of gardening but, left unchecked, those annoying little pests can destroy your precious plants within a few short weeks.

Every year I plant several Green Zebra Tomato plants in addition to the dozen other varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Green Zebra Tomatoes are my son’s favorite variety of tomato so I grow at least three plants just for him. Green zebras are immensely flavorful and have a beautiful green color. And, don’t let the bright green color fool you. The green tomatoes that you see are perfectly ripe and ready to eat. After growing many heirloom varieties for many years, I have learned to pick my tomatoes by touch and feel, and not by color. Why? Heirloom varieties come in a variety of colors such as yellow, green, orange, red and even black. When picking tomatoes, I gently squeeze the fruit to check for ripeness. If it’s too firm, it remains on the vine until it’s ripe and ready to be brought into my kitchen.

My Heirloom Tomato Salad with Green Zebra Vinaigrette is a simple combination of ingredients that packs some serious summertime flavor. Don’t worry if you can’t find Green Zebra Tomatoes… My the tomato vinaigrette can be made with any kind of tomato you wish. Enjoy! Tessa

Grab a small saucepan and heat 1 Tbs olive oil on the stove over medium high heat. Add tomatoes and shallots and cook about 10 minutes stirring constantly, be careful not to burn. Remove from heat and add the white balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and honey. Use an immersion or stick blender and add olive oil slowly until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper. Taste and correct your seasonings. Stir in the minced parsley. Cover and chill. Makes about 1 cup. Keep refrigerated in a tightly sealed container for about 3 – 4 days.

If you ever peeked into my refrigerator, chances are that I have a big bottle of Frank’s RedHot Sauce stowed away on the refrigerator door. Actually, I have a whole door shelf dedicated to spicy hot sauce mixtures and blends. I love hot sauce. I love spicy food. Bruce thinks that I am crazy because I love that lingering burn from hot peppers. Little does he know, I’m perfectly fine…

My fondness for fiery food began when I was about 10 years old. I did not want to eat the bland and boring dishes that the other kids in my family were eating, I wanted what the adults were putting on their plates. Things have not changed. Now when someone asks me how hot I want my food, my typical response is “make me cry”.

The other day while shopping at a wholesale food/restaurant supply store, I stumbled across a container of Frank’s RedHot Seasoning blend in the spice aisle. I’ve never seen it in a regular grocery store before so I think it’s something that is meant to be sold to restaurants and commercial food establishments. Frank’s RedHot Sauce is a delicious blend of an aged variety of red cayenne peppers, vinegar and garlic. I use Frank’s RedHot Sauce in and on so many dishes that I prepare. And, when I first discovered that spice blend, I knew I had something amazingly delicious in my hands. I could not wait to get home and try it out!

As soon as I got home, I opened the lid of the container, poked my finger into the spice mixture and tasted it. It had that same Frank’s flavor that I knew and loved but it was in a dehydrated form perfect for sprinkling on french fries, homemade potato chips, popcorn, chicken or whatever my little heart desires. I then put the spice blend in a shaker for an even better distribution of flavor on my dishes.

My Frank’s RedHot Sunflower Seeds are a simple combination of three ingredients. Raw shelled sunflower seeds, an egg white and Frank’s RedHot Seasoning blend. That’s it. Plus, it’s so easy to make, you can have a pound of these delicious little snacks knocked out in about 15 minutes.

These little sunflower seeds are packed with serious cayenne flavor. You can adjust the flavor level to suit your taste buds by adding or minimizing the amount of Frank’s RedHot Seasoning that you choose to use… Enjoy! Tessa

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium sized bowl whisk the egg white until frothy. Add the raw sunflower seeds and Frank’s Seasoning blend. Go easy on the seasoning the first time out… You can always add more at the very end. Toss and coat well. Grab a large cookie sheet and spray with non stick spray. Add the sunflower seed mixture to the cookie sheet spreading out the sunflower seeds evenly.

Place the cookie sheet on the highest rack in the oven. Bake for about 7 to 10 minutes. Stirring the sunflower seeds often. Carefully taste a seed or two before removing from the oven to make sure you get the desired crunchiness and toasty color (they’re hot!). Remove from the oven, shake more Frank’s Seasoning on the sunflower seeds if desired, let cool and place in an airtight container. Lasts about 5 – 7 days.

Sometimes the most interesting recipes come from trying to figure out what to do with leftovers from the day before… Two weeks ago, Bruce and I had a backyard barbecue at our home with family and friends. I love to entertaining guests but I don’t care for dealing with any kind of leftover fruit trays, appetizer platters or main dishes. After the last barbecue we had at our home, we had more than a boat load of fresh strawberries, melons and assorted fruit. After our guests left for the evening, I begrudgingly peeled the rinds off the melons, hulled the strawberries and tossed all the remaining bits of fruit in the freezer.

When freezing fresh fruit for use at a later date, be sure to place them single layer on a cookie sheet. Once the fruit is frozen, remove the fruit from the cookie sheet and toss in a releasable plastic bag. Curious as to why? The deal is, when you throw all the fruit in the plastic bag first, you end up with a big ball of frozen fruit that is all stuck together like a brick. It’s a pain to break apart and to deal with. Trust me. I learned that lesson the hard way. This cookie sheet technique makes the fruit not stick to each other in the freezer and makes it easy to grab a handful of fruit whenever you need it. Leftover frozen fruit chunks from fruit trays is great for smoothies, sorbets, and boozy little fruity concoctions such as my Straw-Ber-Ita Fruit Pops.

In addition to leftover fruit, I found myself with several cans of Straw-Ber-Ita’s floating around in the ice bucket the next day. Straw-Ber-Ita is a margarita-like alcoholic beverage made by Anheuser Busch. It has a refreshing strawberry lime flavor and is “supposed to” mimic the flavor of a strawberry margarita. Frankly, they remind me of those fruity little wine coolers that were so popular in the 1980’s. As an alcoholic beverage, they are a bit too sweet for my taste but they do work amazingly well in my Straw-Ber-Ita Fruit Pops.

My Straw-Ber-Ita Fruit Pops are super easy to make and taste great on a hot summer day. Enjoy! Tessa

*****Note: These fruit pops contain alcohol. Please enjoy these fruit pops responsibly. Do not serve Straw-Ber-Ita Fruit Pops to people under the legal drinking age and/or to children.*****

Toss all ingredients in a blender. Pulse until the fruit is broken down to fine bits. Pour mixture into frozen Popsicle molds. Add Popsicle sticks. Freeze until firm and serve. Makes about 10-12 frozen fruit pops.

It’s been a very long while since I picked up my camera and even thought of logging onto my food blog. It’s not because I’ve lost my passion for cooking, or that I’ve burned out or that I’m the laziest person that I know… It’s just that my day job has completely devoured my personal life for over a year and I can now say that it’s finally starting to wind down. I look forward to regularly getting back into my kitchen and creating healthy (and sometimes not so healthy but totally worth it) home cooked dishes for my family and friends. I also look forward to catching up on what’s been happening at all my favorite food blogs. And with all that said, I’m happy to say that I am thrilled to be back.

Even though I have been busy all year, I still found time to tuck some fresh herbs and flowers in my garden earlier this spring. This season I’ve added a variety of herbs including curled parsley and nasturtiums. The nasturtiums are from seeds that I gathered last fall and the parsley was from starts that I found down at the Grange. I prefer to grow my own herbs. First of all, I know that they are grown organically (I know, because I refuse to use sprays or pesticides), and second, it saves me a bunch of money. Oh, and third, you can’t get any fresher herbs than hand picked straight from the garden.

Nasturtiums are edible annual flowers that I love to add to salads for bright cheerful color and a peppery flavor. They also make gorgeous garnishes on appetizer trays and desserts. They are easy to grow and require very little attention.

Today I want to share with you a simple delicious Shredded Romaine Salad with a tangy Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette. Green salads are an every day part of my family’s diet and this green salad is now one of my new favorites. This salad is super easy to make, bright in flavor and can be served alongside a variety of dishes. This salad was inspired by a salad served at one of my favorite restaurants, the Jacksonville Inn in Jacksonville, Oregon and the Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette recipe was adapted from Epicurius. Serves 4. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1 large head romaine lettuce

handful fresh picked parsley (washed and minced)

several fresh nasturtium blossoms (washed and lightly chopped)

Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

salt and pepper to taste

Begin by washing and drying the romaine lettuce. With a sharp knife, cut the romaine lettuce into thin strips. Loosely toss and place onto salad plates (about two cups of lettuce per plate) and garnish with minced parsley and nasturtium blossoms. Lightly drizzle with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Zest of a large lemon

Juice of a large lemon

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup water

1 Tbs white balsamic vinegar

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/8 tsp white pepper (or to taste)

1/4 cup minced parsley

Whisk all ingredients together and store in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake well before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Makes about 1 cup.

Years ago, while growing up, if I wanted to have a bowl of soup for lunch, it came out of a small bright red and white can. It was called Campbell’s… Our family always had Campbell’s condensed cans of cream of mushroom, chicken noodle or tomato available in the cupboard ready to add water and heat up. Back then, I thought that it tasted great for I did not know any better. Homemade soup was pretty much nonexistent in our diets because we never made it at home and we rarely ate at what I would call a “sit down restaurant”. And if we did, I would always order a green salad instead of soup.

I was first introduced to making homemade soups after I moved out of the house in my late teens. I learned how to prepare soups while working my way through college as a short order cook. As a short order cook, I discovered how easy, inexpensive and delicious homemade soups can be. In the commercial kitchen, I learned how to make bean soups, cream soups, vegetable soups, noodle soups and so much more. I strongly believe that my education in the restaurant was as valuable as the high priced education that I received in college.

Today, I want to share with you an easy to make Broccoli and Spinach Bisque. It’s made with fresh organic broccoli, spinach and leeks in a good quality chicken stock with a hint of white pepper and fresh grated nutmeg. Instead of using heavy cream with a ton of fat and calories, I’ve lightened it up a bit with some 2% milk.

“Toto, I’ve a feeling that we’re not having Campbell’s anymore”. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1 pound broccoli florets

2 cups leeks (white and light green parts only, chopped)

5 cups fresh spinach

1 Tbs butter

1 quart Chicken Stock

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp white pepper

4 Tbs butter

4 Tbs flour

2 cups milk (2%)

Begin by cooking the leeks in 1 Tbs butter in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium flame until translucent, stirring constantly taking care not to burn. Add broccoli, chicken stock and salt. Cover and cook until broccoli is tender. Add spinach, grated nutmeg and white pepper and cook a few minutes more. Meanwhile in a medium sized sauce pan cook butter and flour mixture (making a roux) until a light golden brown. Add milk, whisk constantly and cook until thickened. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Puree with hand blender and cook for a few more minutes. Taste and correct your seasonings. Ladle into cups or bowls and garnish with chopped green onion or chives. Makes 2 quarts or about 8 – 1 cup servings.